The Story of Kelly Osbourne and Her Addiction to Drugs
Kelly Osbourne on her drug addiction: ‘For me drugs were a coping mechanism that also fueled my self-destruction.’ The rehab success of Kelly Osbourne is an inspiring story as she battled through emotional trauma to become the bright young woman she is today. Her story is about a chaotic lifestyle that simply became too much. Growing up in the spotlight at a young age brought her extreme success but there was also a darkness that nobody knew about. Her addiction to alcohol, opiate painkillers, and sex would go unnoticed for years. Despite her upbringing and past problems, which promoted partying and drinking at a young age, she is now successful and has come out with yet another memoir, “There Is No F*cking Secret: Letters From a Badass Bitch.” Osbourne’s reasons for how she got to a place in her life where painkiller addiction could take place developed through a variety of emotional reasons. Her story gives insight into the tangled web we weave and how addiction can creep into one’s life so quietly. Kelly Osbourne and her drug history have been laid out within her memoirs that tell the story of her life. She’s not hiding any of the details and it’s a refreshing look into the events and emotions that cause addiction to take its stronghold on us. 
When Drugs Became a Problem For Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne candidly talks about her battle with drug addiction and how it started at age 16. Her first opiate-based drug addiction was Vicodin which was prescribed to her after an operation when she was 13. It became problematic when she started clubbing at 16 after being offered pills. She bought more the next day and continued to take drugs for the relaxed feeling she got. Kelly Osbourne’s addiction to prescription drugs deepened when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. In an effort to stay strong for her mother and family, she took Vicodin to hide the sadness she felt. Kelly’s dependency on Vicodin was to the point she woke up and took six pills every morning. At the worst of it, she was taking up to 50 pills a day where most people would overdose on 10. Kelly had a lot of adult responsibilities to take on while her mother was sick with cancer.
Ozzy Osbourne and His Drug Problems Coupled with Sharon’s Cancer
One occasion was especially difficult for Kelly to handle. The night that her mother Sharon had a seizure and while her dad overdosed on drugs. As her mother had a seizure, Kelly called for an ambulance and with the help of an at-home nurse, they stabilized her. Ozzy started using drugs again to cope with his wife’s cancer and on the night she had the seizure, he was acting strangely. He swallowed a handful of pills and downed them with vodka, Kelly noticed. Kelly was 19 at this time and accompanied Ozzy and Sharon into the ambulance. During the ride to the hospital, the effects of the drugs her dad took started to show. He leaned over to see if Sharon was breathing but passed out with his hand over her mouth which was misinterpreted. The ambulance attendants thought he was trying to kill her. Kelly had to beg ambulance attendants not to tell the police about her dad to which they agreed. She spent the day in between the hospital rooms of both her mom and dad. With both parents seriously ill, she had to take on many adult responsibilities and it all got too much. This is how she developed such a heavy addiction to prescription pain killers. 
Eventually, Kelly’s Drug Use Was Revealed
Photos were taken of Kelly as she bought drugs were sent to the family home which was how her parents finally realized she had a problem. She was so high that she fell on the living room floor and all her pills scattered to the floor. It’s said there were about 500 pills and her parents immediately sent her to a treatment center. This was one of three times Kelly Osbourne would attend rehab to stop her drug, alcohol, and sex addictions.
Kelly Finally Gets Help With Her Addictions
A year after the first rehab visit, Kelly Osbourne admitted herself into another drug treatment center for detox due to a relapse. In 2009, she went to another rehab clinic which she stayed at for one month. She was quoted to say that drug rehab had really helped her. There was a point where her mother took a drastic measure and sent her to a mental institution for three days. It scared her to death but by medical standards, she was considered suicidal. Kelly did stay sober for a while after her three days in a mental institution but began using drugs again and it was feared, she was suicidal. Through learning to cope with issues that lead to substance abuse, she has since beaten her addiction. Her dad, the famed rock star, Ozzy Osbourne is also now free from drugs and has been clean for three years. Sadly, Prince wasn’t so lucky with his own pain killer addiction, overdosing on Fentanyl this past year. This is an all too grim reality of prescription pain killers. 
Healing from the Pain of the Past
While Kelly doesn’t blame issues with addiction on her famous rock star father, she was at one point an impressionable little girl. Growing up around parties, bus rides with the band, and plenty of substances can begin to feel like a normal way of life. Kids suffer amongst a parent’s addiction even if it doesn’t seem like they know what’s going on. Kelly’s story is proof of how children who are subjected to seeing a parent with addiction problems can also fall into the same patterns. Through cognitive therapy, patients in rehab are often able to see why they started using so heavily in the first place. Kelly Osbourne and her rehab visits helped her source the place of her pain which has allowed her to write such a compelling memoir. Kelly has now found her own way to live which is vastly different from the party lifestyle she grew up in. She manages her emotional pain through creative means as well as maintaining meaningful friendships and taking care of herself. Kelly focuses on what makes her feel good and continues to become more successful as she gets older.
View Sources:
US Magazine (June 21, 2016) Article about Kelly’s book that will reveal all the stories about her drug history and family life. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kelly-osbourne-to-release-tell-all-memoir-in-2017-w210689 Intelligencer (Apr 25, 2017) Article on the occasion that Kelly was sent to a mental institution by her mom. https://www.intelligencer.ca/2017/04/25/kelly-osbourne-reveals-her-drug-use-landed-her-in-a-mental-institution
